A 30-year-old Wyoming Borough man has been officially arraigned on multiple charges after allegedly causing a severe disturbance inside the Luzerne County courthouse, directing lewd remarks at court personnel, and spitting on the county sheriff.
The defendant, identified as Devin Verrez Thomas of Tripp Street, faces a misdemeanor count of simple assault alongside summary charges of harassment and disorderly conduct. The criminal charges were formally lodged against him following an investigation and criminal complaint prepared by detectives with the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.
Thomas was brought before Plains Township District Judge Joseph D. Spagnuolo for his arraignment on the new charges. During the proceeding, bail was set at $50,000, and Thomas remained incarcerated at the county correctional facility after failing to post the required amount.
The charges stem from an escalating series of events that began on the morning of August 25. Thomas was initially scheduled to appear before Judge Michael T. Vough for a routine probation revocation hearing set for shortly after 9:00 a.m.
When the case was called and Thomas failed to appear in the courtroom on time, Judge Vough promptly issued a capias bench warrant commanding law enforcement to take him into custody. Bench warrants of this nature are standard judicial remedies employed by the court when a defendant fails to comply with mandatory appearance schedules.
Approximately half an hour after the warrant was executed, at around 9:30 a.m., Thomas entered Judge Vough’s courtroom. Upon his delayed arrival, an employee with the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas informed Thomas of the status of his case and directed him to the Office of Court Administration to address the active bench warrant.
According to court filings, Thomas reacted with immediate hostility toward the court employee. Instead of complying with instructions, he uttered a lewd sexual remark directed at the staff member before storming out of the courtroom area. The explicit comment was directly overheard by an attending reporter from the Times Leader.
Thomas subsequently proceeded to the Office of Court Administration reception area. Once there, administrative staff and security personnel confirmed the active bench warrant and advised Thomas that he was being placed under official detention and would be transported directly to the county jail.
Following the announcement that he was being taken into custody, Thomas allegedly initiated what investigators described in the criminal complaint as "tumultuous behavior." The escalating volatility in the reception room created significant concern among courthouse employees, prompting staff members to immediately evacuate the immediate workspace.
As law enforcement officers moved to manage the situation, Thomas launched into an aggressive verbal tirade against Luzerne County Sheriff Genesis C. Arias and Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Michael Schultz. Investigators noted that Thomas shouted a barrage of derogatory sexual and racial epithets directly at the responding officers.
The confrontation escalated into physical hostility when Thomas allegedly spat in the direction of law enforcement. The spit struck Sheriff Arias on the back of the leg, providing the primary factual basis for the simple assault charge filed against him.
Court documents indicate that Thomas had originally been brought into court for failing to fulfill the terms of his probation sentence. The probation revocation matter was initiated after Thomas failed to complete court-mandated batterer’s intervention classes and failed to pay required court fines.
Those underlying supervisory terms originated from an April 2024 conviction on charges of criminal attempt to commit institutional vandalism, criminal mischief, and harassment. That prior case stemmed from a police response in Nanticoke involving a domestic dispute.
During the Nanticoke incident, Thomas had been taken into custody after destroying a woman's cellular phone during an altercation. Following his arrest, Thomas damaged the plumbing fixtures, including the sink and toilet, inside the Nanticoke Police Department's inmate holding cell, resulting in extensive flooding within the municipal facility.
Following his August 25 arrest at the courthouse, Thomas remained incarcerated awaiting a rescheduled probation revocation hearing set for Wednesday. However, court proceedings were once again disrupted when Thomas refused to exit his correctional cell to participate in the scheduled hearing via remote video link.
Because of Thomas's refusal to cooperate with the video proceedings from the correctional facility, the probation revocation hearing was formally continued. Judge Vough has rescheduled the proceeding for October 16, during which Thomas will be required to answer for his alleged supervision violations in addition to the newly filed assault and harassment charges.
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